Diversity Woman Magazine

FALL 2012

Leadership and Executive Development for women of all races, cultures and backgrounds

Issue link: https://diversitywoman.epubxp.com/i/91258

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 16 of 79

Upfront Young Entrepreneur Jessica Truesdale S ince she was a kid, she's known she wanted to have her own cos- metics company. Now, at 24, Jessica Truesdale is two years into a business that Next that line and began to run with it, plot- ting out her routes for manufacturing, branding, sales, and marketing. When Truesdale was in her sopho- more year at Spelman, her social media cam- paign had her college sisters salivating so heavily for her dramatic lip colors–– each one named after a Hollywood icon, such as Dorothy Dan- dridge and Marilyn Monroe––that during her first year in operation she sold $5,000 worth of product. True You, cater- ing to "glamorous girls on the go," was launched. Today she works with a panoply of suppliers, manufacturers, and PR professionals, and has a staff of four. Te brand, which ap- peals to teens and adults she hopes will be about more than just makeup. True You Cosmetics, which start- ed out featuring vintage-inspired lipsticks and glosses, is now on its way to becoming what the recent college grad calls her "fu- ture beauty empire." "I've always been fascinated by make- up and fashion," says Truesdale, who entered Spelman College for a sociol- ogy degree with a business plan already in hand. Tat's because growing up in Greensboro, North Carolina, she was surrounded by beauty, brains, and entre- preneurial brawn. Her mother, Althea, and her grandmother, Florence Baker Sample, were chic and classic couture queens who imparted a sense of style and product savvy to their young charge. Her father was a plastic surgeon who offered his own modest makeup line catering to the "enhanced" face. While in high school, Truesdale took the seed of www.diversitywoman.com alike, has expanded into the full makeup palette, featuring products containing antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Truesdale plans to incorporate well- ness, beauty, and fashion into brands to come. She has already folded short- and long-sleeved T-shirts into her line, and within the next few years she is slated to expand from mainly online to brick-and- mortar outlets in her local Atlanta and beyond. Once she finishes with estheti- cian school and an MBA, she has designs on setting up a line of medi-spas aimed at pampering and enhancing people's natural beauty. "Turn your fascination into something you can make money from and enjoy," she advises other young entrepreneurs. "And don't let parental pressure influ- ence you to do something that's not you. Be your 'true you' and keep trying things out until you hit on the right path." DW Hot List Top Diversity Blogs S > ome 6.7 million people publish blogs on blogging platforms, and another 12 mil- lion write blogs using their social networks –– and most are women. We've sifted for some of the most informative for DW readers. Afrobella LV 3DWULFH *UHOO

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Diversity Woman Magazine - FALL 2012